Fred Minnick has built a distinguished reputation as the world’s leading bourbon and whiskey authority, sharing his expertise on CBS Mornings, NPR, The TODAY Show, The History Channel and beyond. Following his unranked Top 100 Whiskeys for 2023 list reveal, Minnick will blind taste on December 20th (7PM EST) all 100 whiskeys in just two hours to determine the rankings.The bourbons are poured and tasted blind, meaning Minnick will not know the brands as he tastes them.
Minnick’s Top 100 list reflected a growing love for Blends of Straights and barrel finishes. Celebrity bourbons from Brothers Bond, Graham McTavish and Eric Church made the list and it featured 51 craft brand / independent contenders, and leading brands include Buffalo Trace with eight contenders, and Heaven Hill and Brown-Forman with six contenders each.
For the first time ever, Minnick incorporated his nationwide Blind Bourbon® series. Bourbons selected by audiences from blind taste tests received automatic bids.
This year, craft rye whiskeys showed up with Tattersall 5 Year Bottled in Bond Rye (Minnesota), Southern Distilling Company’s Hunting Creek Straight Rye (North Carolina) and Leopold Brothers (Colorado) all making the 2023 list, while last year’s winner William LaRue Weller was absent.
Each contender was chosen with the following criteria:
- Tasted by Minnick between November 2022 and November 2023.
- Blind Bourbon winners receive automatic bids into Top 100.
- High Scores and Best in Show from ASCOTs earn automatic bids.
- Must have at least 500 bottles (eliminates single barrels).
- The whiskey caught the attention of Minnick this year.
Minnick’s livestream tasting is the sports tournament of the spirits world, as each brand’s ranking will be determined by his palate alone.
The Top 100 (alphabetical order):
291 All rye, 132.6, $115
AD Laws Bottled in Bond 8 Year Bourbon, 100 Proof, $80
Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Rye, 114.4 proof, $270
Balcones Cataleja Single Malt, 118 proof, $125
Barrell Batch 35, 117.5 proof, $85
Barrell Craft Spirits Private Release Bourbon CSX8
Barrell Rye 4, 115.7 proof, $85
BBC Discovery 10, 114.24 Proof, $139.99
BBC Discovery 11, 118.1 proof, $139.99
Ben Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bottled in Bond, 100 proof, $60
Bernheim Barrel Proof A223, 118.8 proof, $65
Bird Creek Distillery Cask Strength – Baronesse, 115 Proof, $126
Blackwood Toasted Rye, 112.6 Proof, $159.99
Blood Oath Pact 9, 98.6 Proof, $130
Booker’s 2023-4, 127.8 proof, $90
Boot Hill Batch 15 High Wheat Kansas Bourbon, 90 Proof, $45
Boulder Cask Strength, $75.99
Brothers Bond Cask Strength Bourbon, 114.8 Proof, $80
Buffalo Trace Prohibition: Old Stagg, 132.4 Proof, $200 (as part of $1,000 set)
Chattanooga Cask 111, 111 Proof, $45
Clyde May’s 6 Year, 110 Proof, $60
Cold Zero American Whiskey, 92 Proof, $40
Colkegan Cask Strength Single Malt, 118 proof, $80
Copper and Kings Brandy Finish Bourbon, 111.1 Proof, $65
Driftless Glenn Bourbon Batch 42, 96 Proof, $40
Eagle Rare 17 Year, 101 Proof, $125
EH Taylor Barrel Proof, 131.1 Proof, $80
Elijah Craig B523, 124.2 Proof, $70
Elijah Craig C923, 133 Proof, $70
Eric Church’s JYPSI Whiskey, 115 Proof, $199.99
Four Gate Whiskey Company Batch 19 – The Kelvin Collaboration IIII, 111.7 Proof, $220
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, 108 Proof, $200
Frey Ranch 100% Malted Corn, 110 Proof, $59
George T. Stagg from Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, 135 Proof, $125 (SRP is often not realistic in retail settings)
Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Cognac, 108 Proof, $100
Hemingway Rye 2023 Signature, 102 Proof, $80
High West Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 11 Scene 1, 98.6 Proof , $150
Highline Triple Rye, 97 Proof, $65
J. Rieger & Co. Kansas City Whiskey, 92 Proof, $54
Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled Rye, 100 Proof, $75
Jack Daniels 10 Year Batch 02, 97 Proof, $70
Jack Daniels 12 Year, 107 Proof, $80
James E Pepper Decanter, 105.4 Proof, $65
Jefferson’s Tropics, 104 Proof, $100
Journeyman Corsetts Whips & Whiskey, Wheat Whiskey, 117 Proof, $60
K.LUKE Batch 6, 119.8 Proof, $110
K.LUKE Whiskey Company Batch 4, 100 Proof, $80
Kentucky Peerless High Rye Bourbon, 110.5 Proof, $150
Kentucky Senator 8 Year, 107 Proof, $135
Knob Creek 18 Year, 100 Proof, $170
Larceny A123, 125.8 Proof, $59
Larceny C923 126.4 $60
Leopold Brothers 6 Year Bottled in Bond Rye Batch 47, 100 Proof, $250
Little Book 7, 118.1 Proof, $150
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged, 115.7 Proof, $150
MB Roland Rye Batch 11, 110 Proof, $55
McTavish Bottled in Bond, 100 Proof, $75
Michter’s Rye Toasted, 108.9 Proof, $120
Michter’s US 1 Bourbon, 91.4 Proof, $40
Milam & Green: Castle Hills, 114.5 Proof, $150
Milam & Greene Unabridged Bourbon, 117 Proof, $95
Monk’s Road Fifth District Series 8 Years Old Toasted Barrel, 100 Proof, $99
Nashville Barrel Company Cask Batch, 123.7 Proof, $75
Nelson Bros. 15 Year Rye, 108.4 Proof, $300
New Riff Blue Clarage Ky Straight Bourbon, 100 Proof, $56
New Riff Kentucky Single Malt, 110 Proof, $70
New Riff Yellow Leaming Straight Bourbon, 100 Proof, $56
OH Ingram River Aged Flagship 2023 Bourbon, 102 Proof, $99
Old Forester 100, 100 Proof, $26
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, 96 Proof, $170
Old Line American Single Malt Double Oak Madeira Cask, 100 Proof, $65
Old Man Winter Batch 2, 109.8, $158
Parker’s Heritage 10 Year Rye, 128.8 Proof, $180
Penelope 9 year cask strength, 109 Proof, $65
Penelope Rose Cask Finish, 94 Proof, $80
Pursuit United Blend of Straight Rye Batch 8CD, 108 Proof, $75
Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Dareringer, 102.1 Proof, $295
Wild Turkey: Rare Breed, 116.88 Proof, $60
Redwood Empire Bottled in Bond Rye Rocket Top, 100 Proof, $90
Remus Gatsby, 97.8 Proof, $200
Smoke Wagon Uncut 180B, 113.96 Proof, $79
Southern Distilling Company’s Hunting Creek Straight Rye, 100 Proof, $50
Southern Star Paragon Bottled in Bond Wheated, 100 Proof, $60
Buffalo Trace Prohibition: Spiritis Frumenti, 110 Proof, $200 (as part of $1,000 set)
Spirits of French Lick Hindostan Falls, 100 Proof, $50
Stagg Jr. 22A, 132.2 Proof, $70
Stagg Jr. 23B, 127.8 Proof, $70
Green River, 90 Proof, $35
Still Austin Cask Strength, 118 Proof, $50
Tattersall 5 Year Bottled in Bond Rye , 100 Proof, $50
Thomas H. Handy, 124.9 Proof, $125
Three Chord: Goodbye June, 120 Proof, $70
Uncle Nearest 1856, 100 Proof, $59
Very Olde St. Nick Immaculata, 118.1 Proof, $259
Wild Turkey Masters Keep Voyage, 106 Proof, $275
Wilderness Trail 8 Year Wheated, 100 Proof, $88
Willett Black Bottle Bourbon 8 Year, 108 proof, $299
Woodford Reserve Batch Proof, 124.7 proof, $130
Woodinville Straight Bourbon Finished with Applewood Staves, 100 Proof, $100
Minnick is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author who has written several books on the topic of spirits. He shares his expertise by way of fun, interactive tastings with celebrities from athletes to musicians to actors via The Fred Minnick Show. Season three of the award-winning show launched in October with a special episode featuring Maynard James Keenan. Watch new episodes, here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6vEKe7NQm4cCkSP4XUqFriaondgnAxjN&si=3Y1WVUaRGJmxIChh
For more information on Minnick, visit fredminnick.com.
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